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alphabet activities,

I find that if my kiddos can compare the hard & soft Gg sounds side-by-side, with a variety of different activities, their reading and spelling of those words is much more successful.

A few little rules, lots of examples and fun ways to practice, will help reinforce the different Gg sounds.

So I created this packet. I started out with just the gorilla & giraffe flip booklets, but as I was designing, I also wanted to include other quick, easy, and fun activities, where students could practice in other ways.

The variety keeps things fresh, while allowing for continued practice without reinforcement becoming boring.

Thus, the packet grew into jumbo size, as I combined both the hard and soft Gg activities into a BUNDLED packet.

They mirror each other, as the activities for the hard g have a matching soft g counterpart, which makes comparison super easy as well as fun.

Simply put, I know this “stuff” works because it’s worked for me. My students are focused and engaged, enjoying learning some tricky things. I can use these centers year after year, which is a huge time saver. Win-Win.

The packet includes:* A super-fun gorilla & giraffe flip booklet. So that teachers can quickly & easily make an example to share, I've included full color templates, as well as black and white so that students can make their own.

The "mouth" of the gorilla and giraffe flips up to reveal pages of a soft or hard Gg graphic, along with a "trace & write" word.

There are a variety of page options, featuring words beginning with that sound, as well as the sound within the word.

Choose your favorites or run them all off and give children a choice.

* The packet also includes 60 picture word cards with a tip list of games you can play, plus other ways to use them, as well as a nice selection of * Posters, which you can use as anchor charts and a way to introduce the lesson.

* There are also a variety of "Word Work Worksheets", which includes alphabetizing as well as word searches. As with all of my packets, answer keys are included. Here are some more things that are included...

I put the "head" on a Boutique Kleenex box, so that the "mouth" of the gorilla and giraffe goes over the oval opening in the box. I cut the mouths using an Exacto knife.

My students actually ask to play this game they enjoy it so much! Woo hoo.

Choose which words you want to reinforce, print the pages, laminate and trim. Pass them out to your students. We gather in a circle and sit on the floor. I hold both boxes.

Students show their word card and everyone reads it together. If you want, they can also point out the vowel that helps give the word its sound, or explain that this is a word that's an exception to the rule, or that this word contains both sounds. They "feed" their card to the appropriate animal. Play 'til all of the cards have been "eaten".

I often do this as a quick review before lunch. (Munch a bunch of cards before lunch!)

Besides using the cards for "feeding" the animals, you can also use them for an independent center, where children sort X number of cards onto a gorilla or giraffe sorting mat.

Older students can pick 3-6 cards and use them to make up sentences which they record on their worksheet.

You can use the variety of activities for... * A whole group * An independent center * Partner fun * Homework * Lessons for a sub folder * A simple & quick time-filler or something for early finishers

* Assessments* A game* Something fun for ESL students or children who need extra help.

Today's featured FREEBIE is also a letter activity. The Alpha Cats packet is perfect any time of the year. Fun for a pet theme, and especially teriffic if your students are Pete the Cat fans, as these little kitties are wearing shoes!

Besides the upper & lowercase letter cards, there are also a few worksheets, plus I've included a 3-page tip list of ideas for using the cards, including the Kaboom game.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

My husband's brother flew in from Denver, so it's time to put on my hostess hat. Wishing you a happy day, filled with many memorable moments.

"It's all about quality of life. Finding that happy balance between work, play, family and friends." -Phillip Green

While waiting for “my turn” at the ophthalmology office, I was staring at a framed print of an old-fashioned eye chart, wondering how I could use that in my classroom. The result of that long wait, is this “ABC the letters & numbers” packet, with C (see) being a play-on-words.

It took some time to design the eye charts, so that they not only looked like the “real deal”, but included all of the uppercase letters, so they can be used as a unique teaching tool, plus help practice letter identification & recognition. Easy-peasy for you & fun for your students.

You can use the traditional “E at the top” chart, or the one that says “I Spy!”

Besides the eye charts, the packet also includes a variety of “Eye Spy” alphabet & number worksheets & games, plus 26, mini puzzle glasses, where students match the uppercase letter to the lowercase one, along with 21 matching numeric puzzles, which help practice numbers 0-20, sequencing, subitizing & simple addition.

I’ve also included an assessment mat & recording sheet for both upper & lowercase letters.

A set of upper & lowercase "eyeball" cards, can be used in a variety of activities and games. I've included a 3-page tip list of what you can do with them.

There's also a set of "I Spy My Name"color-me worksheets, if your students are learning to write their names and identify those letters.

There are 4 boys & 4 girl options children can choose from, plus a colorful pattern you can use to quickly & easiy make a sample to share.

About the CHARTS:

My Y5s absolutely love pretending, and talking about what they want to be when they grow up, so “becoming” a real eye doctor is right up their alley.

Print and laminate the eye chart so it can become a part of your pretend play area. I keep a copy in our “doctor kit” tub.

If you don’t have an “imagination station” set up in your classroom as part of your daily routine, that’s fine too, as being able to “play eye doctor” will be even more exciting, as children don’t normally get to have this as a center activity.

Pair up a strong student with a struggler, so that they can each take turns being the patient, as well as the eye doctor. If you have older reading buddies that come in to help with your youngsters, this is also a fun activity for that time slot.

The “doctor” asks the “patient” to read the various lines. My kiddos use a “pencil pointer”, so they are specifically pointing to each letter. Having a pointer is also a “cool tool” and adds to the fun.

Besides the “Partner Pretend” practice game, you can also use the eye chart poster as an alternative assessment tool, where students point to each letter and say it.

The eye chart also works as a fun ”I spy!” worksheet game. Run them off, then choose a student to call out a letter. Children find it and circle it. You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.

Another idea for the eye chart is using it for a “whole group” activity. Using a dry erase marker, have a child come up and circle a letter that you ask for. You could also point to a letter and call on children to tell you what that letter is.

The numbered lines are also helpful, so you can reinforce number recognition as well. i.e. “Please read the letters on line 5” or point to a number and ask the name of it; or “Please show me the number 3”

The chart can also be used for ordinal number practice. “What is the third letter on line 2?” I love it when I can use a visual for more than one thing, and thought you’d appreciate that too.

Today's featured FREEBIE is a versatile "FanSailboat Craftivity"that's suitable for the end of the year: “Have fun sailing into summer. I hope it’s fantastic!”, as well as for back-to-school: “Have fun sailing into a new school year. I hope it’s fantastic!”

Inserting a pencil, pen, marker, glow stick or Pixie candy stick for a mast, is an inexpensive little gift you can give your new or departing students as well.

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

Time to go soak up some sunshine as I water my garden.

Wishing you a carefree day.

"Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air, and you."-Langston Hughes

It’s a terrific, springtime story for introducing your study of clouds, and helps children stretch their imaginations.

Because my Young Fives really enjoy this story, I designed several cloud-themed activities for them to transition to, after we read the tale. They are both featured on the blog today, along with an awesome FREEBIE.

Since "It Looked Like Spilt Milk"is perfect for practicing the “sequencing and retelling a story” standards, I designed a quick, easy and fun slider craftivity, which will help your students retell the story in the proper order.

There are 2 outside slider options to choose from.

One features a cloud, the other a square with a spilled milk "splat".

I chose blue construction paper, to resemble the story as well as the color of the sky.

Pick your favorite or give children a choice.

Students color the story elements on the “slider strip” then cut and glue it together.

There are 2 "storytelling slider strip" options as well. One, for beginning readers, has the pictures labeled, while the other strip's graphics are blank.

As they pull on the end of the “slider-strip” the various “cloud” pictures go through the “window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take their craftivity home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.

I introduce the lesson by reading the book ”It Looked Like Spilt Milk”, then share my completed "slider craft” with my students.

After I read the story, we retell the tale together, using the picture prompts on my slider.

I have them guess which story element they think comes next, before I pull the picture through the “window”.

My students now know what’s expected of them, and are very excited to transition to making an “It Looked Like Spilt Milk” storytelling slider of their own.

Storytelling sliders are also an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension.

I’ve included a “Let’s “sequence the story” activity for this, where students color and trim the picture “windows” then glue them in the correct order on their worksheet.

There’s also a “Here’s What Happened…” writing prompt worksheet, as another way to check comprehension, plus practice sequential writing, hopefully using a variety of ordinal numbers and other transitions.

Finally, I thought it would be fun to practice upper and lowercase letters with a "cloud alphabet", which also includes an "animal cloud" for each letter as well.

* 2 sets of animal cloud cards. There is a “cloud animal” for each letter of the alphabet.

* There are also matching animal word cards, which will provide more ways to play “Memory Match” and “I Have; Who Has?” games.

* Children can also pick a picture card and describe the animal using 1-3 adjectives OR… * Pick a word card and use it in a sentence. OR… * Students can arrange the letter and/or word cards in alphabetical order.

-Use the “Kaboom!” cards to add to the fun. -Use the cover to make an “Itty Bitty” booklet.

* I’ve also included a 5-page, tip list of other games and things you can use the cards for.

* 2 poster poems to introduce the lesson

These activities can be used for independent centers, whole group activities, Daily 5 word work, early finishers, homework, or tossed in a sub tub.

Choose which one is most appropriate for your students, or give them a choice.They attach the worksheet to their initial.

One option practices the vocabulary associated with letters. "Cc is for Cody and cat, crayon, clown, circle, crown & car."

So that the letter "pops" out, have children choose 2 colors to write their words.

For added pizzazz have them draw and color a picture of one of the words.

Another writing prompt option, "I am unique like a snowflake!" helps students get to know a bit more about their classmates.

I find that children really enjoy sharing about themselves, so filling in the blanks on this worksheet (favorite color, food, animal etc.) is an especially fun activity for them. When everyone is done, have them "show & share" their completed project.

The 3rd writing prompt option, is also a fill-in-the-blank worksheet which revolves around their letter and name, and practices counting.

Since all of the worksheets are so different, you could easily stretch this activity over several days doing all 3 prompts.

I've included a "Letters are 'snow' much fun!"poster for the center of your display.

Teachers can also assign a letter to each student then hang the completed alphabet cards up as a winter border, or use them as large flashcards.

These could also be collected, collated and made into a class-made, wintry alphabet book.

Introduce the craftivity with my snowflake “Hush!” poem. So that the poem easily transitions into the activity, I added another stanza on a separate poster: "We made our time together, snowing blowing better, making a snowflake letter!"

I’ve provided one in color, which can also be part of your bulletin board display, as well as a BW version for students to color, take home and read to their families.

The poem is packed with Dolch sight words and offers a nice rhyming review and easy way to include the poetry genre into your lessons.

* Besides the snowflake letter writing prompt craftivity, there’s also a Venn diagram compare & contrast activity, and a set of lovely snowflake cards perfect for sorting, patterning, or playing a Memory Match game with.

* For more letter practice, I’ve included 2 sets of snowflake-themed, upper & lowercase letter cards, along with a 4-page tip list of what you can do with them, including games like “What’s Missing?”, “Hidden Letter”and“Kaboom!”.

* There’s also a set of snowflake alphabetpuzzles, plus a “How many words can you make using the letters in snowflake?”worksheet, with a 111-word answer key.

* The “I Spy a Letter!” game sheets are a quick, easy & fun way to whole group assess upper or lowercase letters.

* The 6 bonus worksheets are nice for early finishers, homework or a sub tub.

Alphabet Wheels are a quick, easy & fun way to practice letters, and build the vocabulary needed to give an example of a word, with that beginning sound.

They feature 7 nouns that begin with that letter, and come in black & white, as well as full-color, so that you can use a colorful one for an independent center and use the black & white pattern for a whole-group or individual word work activity, where kiddos make their own.

Alphabet wheels are perfect for letter of the day/week activities.

I've also tried to use popular themes so that you can revisit the wheels or feature them with your apple, leaves, gingerbread, turkey and snowmen etc. themes.

Another idea, after children have gone through the entire alphabet, is to have them make their own alphabet wheel that starts with the first letter of their name.

On the back of the wheel they can write the other picture words along with their name: “Kk is for kite, key, kangaroo, king, koala and Kaiden!”

I've also included a worksheet where students trace & write the words then put them in alphabetical order.

So that you can give them a try, the first alphabet wheel, "A is for Apples and..." is FREE. It's today's featured freebie as well.

I had a request for "bundling" the alphabet wheels.

I’m always happy to bundle up packets particularly for the alphabet, so you can get a nice price break and save more.

I’ve bundled 13 alphabet wheels A-Mtogether, then another bundle for the rest of the letters N-Z., so instead of being a dollar each if bought separately, they are now only .50 cents.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

We've been having some chart-topping temps again for September, so it's time to go water my garden.

Because the story is all about this little mouse’s name, I like to transition my kiddos to some name writing activity afterwards.

These puzzles provide a super-fun way to do that, plus children get in some uppercase alphabet practice too.

They're a real “sanity saver” as children are happily engaged coloring, cutting, then putting their puzzle together. While they work independently you are freed up. Woo hoo!

The puzzles mix math with literacy, as they help practice sequencing numbers from 1-10, working on those toughie teen numbers, as well as skip counting by 10s.

Simply choose which number concept is most appropriate for your students.

For a fun back to school bulletin board, have children mount their puzzle to a sheet of construction paper leaving a little gap between each strip, which will create an interesting mosaic effect.

I’ve included 2 “ABC 1-2-3 Look Who’s In The Class With Me!” posters to use for the center of your display. (Plus preschool, kindergarten and 1st grade as well).

There’s also a colorful Chrysanthemum puzzle (1-10, 11-20, & counting by 10s) to use as an independent math center, plus an additional name writing worksheet where children finish drawing Chrysanthemum.

Finally, while I was putzing with this, another name activity popped in my head, so I created a quick, easy & fun "color, cut & glue" name craft, which provides wonderful fine motor practice, plus assists children in learning how to spell their name as they begin to recognize those letters.

Completed projects make a sweet back to school bulletin board too. Besides the name craft, the packet also includes:

* Separate upper & lowercase letter cards, as well as a set of cards with both the upper and lowercase letter on one card.

Use them for Memory Match and “I Have; Who Has?” games.

I’ve also included a 4-page tip list of other ideas for the cards, including the “Kaboom!” game as well as . . .

* A variety of letter worksheets plus… * Some simple letter games like "What Letter Did Chrysanthemum Hide Today?" and "What's Missing?", as well as several dice worksheet games.

1-2-3 Come Chew On Some Common Core With the Very Hungry Caterpillar and Me

Since so many people read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I wanted to use Eric Carle's cute little critter as a spring board to studying a variety of Common Core Standards.

I created the caterpillar template and made a list of all sorts of ways I could use it, then set about to design the details. You can choose which one you want your students to do, or give them a choice.

Teachers could also make up their own set and laminate to use as anchor charts.

Make several sets but don't glue the body-segment circles together, to use for independent, sequencing centers or to play games with.

You could also use them to independently or whole group assess the various standards.

I've also included a set where a bit of the butterfly's life cycle is also included with the letters.

For example, for the letter Zz, I added: Zzzzzz sleeping in a chrysalis, and then included a butterfly pattern with the letters all over her wings to be cut and glued on the last section.

Completed projects make a sweet spring bulletin board. I've included a poster for the center of you display.

The packet also includes an alpha-pillar craftivity teachers can make, which features upper or lowercase letters, which actually look like the background pattern of Eric Carle's book!

These make a wonderful border, or puzzle center as well.

There's also a set of uppercase, as well as lowercase (12-on-a-page) letter cards, with matching picture cards of things that begin with that letter, plus a set of word cards for those objects, which provides a variety of center activities and games.

I also made a set of 2-on-a-page alphabet anchor charts, which feature the beginning letter object on the caterpillar's tail end.

This packet makes a nice spring review, as I find that just because I've taught and practiced something with my kiddos at the beginning of the year, doesn't mean everyone retains everything later on.

There's a blank version, where older students think of something edible that color, then write it down and draw a picture of it, as well as a simpler version, where the black line graphics are on the page for children to color.

I've also included a teacher's copy with full color graphics, so you can quickly make a sample to share.

I love Valentine's Day; it's one of my favorite parties at school too, so I'm constantly dreaming up new ideas to make the day special, while still learning standards. Today I'm featuring 3 of my newest creations.

“Valenteens”are goofy little heart people that feature a ten-frame. I designed the craftivity to showcase teen numbers, which can be toughies for kiddos. However, because of the blank templates provided, you have the option to simply make a silly valentine, or one with numbers 1-12, for younger students.

Children can create a boy or girl "valenteen", by where they glue the bow. The bows come blank, as well as printed with a teen equation.

There is a blank full-size heart pattern, so that children can draw their own silly face, as well as 10 hearts with a variety of faces for them to choose from.

I’ve also included a 1/2 heart pattern. Print and fold on the dashed line. Keeping the paper folded, students cut on the black line and then unfold their paper to reveal a large heart. My students are always amazed at this, adding to the fun of our lesson.

There are 4 options for the 10 frames: a blank set, a set with numbers, a set with hearts, and a set with numbers & hearts.

If you choose the blank set, children can make X’s & 0’s (hugs & kisses), use stickers, bingo daubers, or draw and color shapes to fill in the boxes. For that finishing touch, I’ve also included gloved hands and shoe templates.

You don’t have to have legs, but I think they add to the silliness of the “valenteens”, plus accordion-folding paper is a fun fine motor skill, that helps strengthen finger muscles.

I included links for the "My Funny Little Valentine"song, so you can play it while your kiddos work on their creations. There’s also a poster of the refrain, as well as an “Our Funny Little Valenteens” poster to use in the center of your bulletin board display.

Next up is the "Hh is for Hearts"alphabet wheel. I'm currently in the process of making one for each letter, and introduce them when the theme is appropriate.

Dollar Deal Alphabet Wheels, are a quick, easy & fun way to practice letters, and build the vocabulary needed to give an example of a word, with that beginning sound.

They feature 6 nouns that begin with that letter, and come in black & white, as well as full-color, so that you can use a colorful one for an independent center and use the black & white pattern for a whole-group or individual word work activity, where kiddos make their own.

Finally, The “100 Chart, Heart Art” is a very versatile activity, as I’ve differentiated the directions for PK to 2nd grade.

“Mystery Math”hidden pictures, are a quick, easy & fun way to practice recognizing some of those big numbers that kiddos often trip over, when learning how to write and count numbers.

Using a 100s chart so students are seeing numbers in proper sequence, helps them wrap their head around a variety of math patterns, and is especially helpful to visual learners.

I’ve included a 100s chart worksheet without directions, so you can do this as a whole-group, “Listening & following directions” activity. For younger kiddos, simply call out the numbers they need to color.

I feel even young children can gain number sense by doing this as a “monkey see-monkey do” activity.

I’ve also included a set of spatial directions for you to read to older students: “Find the number 66. Color that box and the box that is UNDER it.”

There’s also a worksheet that includes the numbers to color, if you want to use this as a homework assignment, table-top activity, independent center, or something for early finishers.

To practice double digit addition and subtraction, there's a worksheet where students have to solve problems to find out what numbers they are supposed to color.

Completed projects make a cute February bulletin board. Use the “We LOVE Mystery Math!” poster in the middle of your display.

The featured FREEBIE today is a set of valentine 10-frames. A nice "go along" to the Valenteen 10-frame craftivity mentioned above.

Besides the 10-frame cards, the packet also includes heart-themed, counting tiles, plus math symbols and number cards, so that you can make equations and play a variety of games.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. Wishing you a blessed day filled with lots of "warm fuzzy" moments.

"Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love." -William Shakespeare

Each booklet is on a one-page pattern, so students could make all of them, over a period of a few days, for a really big belly book!

* The “sliders” are a quick, easy and super-fun way to whole group assess a variety of standards as well.

* There’s a slider for: numbers 1-10, 1-30, counting backwards from 10-0 & 20-0, as well as skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s; plus one for upper case letters, another for lowercase, and finally one for the 2D shapes.

* Choose which one you want to work on. I have my kiddos trace the letter & number strips in a red and green, ABAB color pattern, and color each shape a different color.

To whole group assess, simply call out a letter, number or shape. Students “slide” to it, and hold up their elf.

You can see at a glance, who is having difficulty. Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop and have a look: Elf Slider & Belly Booklets

Today's featured FREEBIE is a gingerbread-themed 10 frames packet. I hope you find it useful.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. TpT's 20% off Cyber Salecontinues through midnight tonight. Type in the codeSMILEfor anextra 10% off.

As for me, I'm dashing through the snow today, to get some more shopping done. Wishing you a delightful day.

"He who doesn't have Christmas in their heart, will never find it under a tree."- Roy L. Smith